Chick box cleat



March 9, 1954 A. E. MILLER CHICK BOX CLEAT Filed Sept. 28, 1951 l/v VEN Tof.' 25W /W/LL 5 P Flete.

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Patented Mar. 9, 1 954 toAlton Box 2 Gimme l This-invention relates generallywtmbaby .chick boxes, and particularly toa lid for spacingcleat arrangement for such boxes?H In the shipping of -baby chicks, yitis.customary to utilize Vcorrugated paper board Il.)oxes.,-which are provided with` Ventilating 'openingsain the sides and lid, and which., .whereV "a1 plurality .of packages are shipped concurrently, are provided with spacing cleats, Aso arrangeolas` toA prevent the blocking'` of the ,Ventilating openingsin.` the lid by the stackingof another similar package thereonduring transportation.

Such spacingcleatsand the arrangementsfor axing them to the chick boxes, have heretofore been .provided in the form of wooden blocks, which are secured to the lids of the chick boxes. In view ofthe .fact .that frequently-a limited number of boxesof baby chicksimaybe transportedl under circumstances. such thatiblocking of the Ventilating openings inthe lids will not occur, it`is desirableV toprovide a lid and cleat arrangement whereby the lid may be utilized with` or without such cleats`,-and.wher.eby the cleats, when desired,inaygbelapplied'lwith facility andwithout requiring the use of tools.

It is. therefore an object ofthe present invention to provide a chick boxlid so constructed and arranged as to releasably receive "sln'areing cleats, andlto permit of theirv'ready application.

./-lnoth'er` object of the invenoh is toprhvide an improved cleat.

Other objects will becomev apparentto those skilledin the art in the light fof, the v following description and accompanying .drawing v In accordance with this invention the` lid` ofwa chick box is provided with I-slots',` each of which denes a, pair of flaps. These flaps, when bent down, provide an opening in the lid. The opening so provided is of a Width sufficient to allow the passage of a depending tenon on a spacing cleat but its length is such that the body of the cleat will not pass through. The spacing cleat is T-shaped in side elevation, the tenon, extending length-wise of the cleat forming the foreshortened stem of the T. The depending tenon is inverted T-shaped in cross-section to provide a groove below the spacing cleat and above the transverse element of the tenon on either side. The aps and the tenon are so proportioned that when the tenon is inserted the flaps spring into the groove below the spacing cleat to lock the cleat in position. At the same time the iiaps substantially close the opening when the cleat is not employed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective Board Company, Alton,` Ill., a coin-f .Y De ware Member 28, 19.5.1? Sesame-.2.484%

2 of a chickv box=having al-lid and-cleatiarrangement constructed in' accordancefwithf-the present inventiqm. n,

' Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan viewer the chick box Vshown 'in Figure 1- with one of' the cleats-removed;`

Figure A3 is a perspective'yiew-of alcleat-i'n accordance with one embodiment of this invention;

Figure 4 is a sectional view 4-4 of Figure v2;

Figure 5 is'a sectional View of a cleat and lid showing the' cleat at the beginning of itsinser; tion withinthe openingv- VFigure 6 isa sectionaly'iew: ofv a cleatfand lid showingy the cleat? partly', inserted 'within an penig;

i Figure 7 Yis a sectional view taken-along the line-1 1 showing the cleatin its fullyiiis'ert'ed andlocked position; and

Figure 8 isa perspective view from beneath the lid showing a cleat in itsfully inserte'dvand locked position.

Referring now to the drawing a conventional chick boxI having vetilatinglopenings 2vin`-its slides and endsfisprovided with a lid 3,"- In the embodiment shown, thelid'Sfis-provided atlit's corners with av spacingcleat -liaving-abody portion'4 and a tenon including a head 5 and a neck 6- depending'from the body portion' 4;. `Thec-leat isslio'wn in detail in Figure "-3. As clearly ap'- pears from Figure 3, the ternhas alongghorizontal dirnensiori.l Thef-neck 6, and "the Ahead 5 are y'produced by grooves runningv lengthwise along each of opposite Along:siijles of the tenon, giving tletenon 'in"`cross"`s"'ection= the shape of an inverted T. Such a cleat may be formed by laminating several thicknesses of corrugated paper board, preferably arranged so that the corrugations 1 extend height-wise. The laminae are adhesively secured to one another and, as shown in the drawing, are coextensive.

In order to provide for the ready reception and positive locking of the spacing cleats, the lid 3 is provided with I-slots I0, the stem slot II of which is slightly longer than the depending tenon of the cleat and the transverse slots I2 of which are slightly longer than the width of the tenon head 5. In the embodiment shown score lines I4 on the underside of the lid 3 extend between the ends of the transverse slots I2. Each I-slot ID with score lines I4 defines a pair of flaps I5.

To secure a cleat to a chick box lid provided with I-slots in accordance with this invention, the head 5 of the tenon need only be positioned squarely between the transverse slots I2 and the cleat pushed down as shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7. 'I'he flaps I5 open along the score lines I4 until the head 5 has passed beyond the lower edges of the iaps, when the flaps spring back against the neck 6 to lock the cleat against up- Ward displacement Vfrom the opening. In this position, the flaps slope downwardly to form in effect a diagonal brace against the stem and the upper face of the head 5. The lower face of the cleat body 4 engages the lid beyond the transverse slots I2 so that the cleat cannot be pushed completely through the opening. The cleat is maintained against longitudinal displacement by the engagement of the neck 6 with the edges of the lid dened by transverse slots I2 and against turning and lateral displacement by the flaps I5 bearing against both the stem 6 and the upper face of the head 5 or" the tenon.

The openings are preferably arranged so that when the cleat is in its iinal locked position at the corner areas, it overlies the vertical side wall members of box I, so that at least a triangular section of each corner cleat projects beyond the side wall of the box as shown at 20 in Figure 1. In this position the vertical load on the cleat is transmitted directly to the side walls of the box, and it is important to arrange the cleat so that, for its full width, the vertical support of the side walls is provided.

A chick box is generally provided with crossdividers which intersect at the center of the box. If a center cleat is used, the top edges of these cross-dividers are preferably cut out just suilicient to accommodate the tenon of the cleat below the surface of the lid, and so that the bottom face of the tenon head 5 may rest on the upper margins of the cross-dividers, thereby providing support for vertical loads applied across the center.

It can be seen that various modiiications of this invention are possible without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the width of the tenon head 5 may be made less than the width of the cleat body I so that the cleat body is prevented from passing through the opening into which the tenon is inserted by the underside of the cleat bodys bearing on the lid 4beyond the width of the opening as well as beyond the length of the opening. In such a construction the tenon can be made of equal length with the body, in which event only the overhanging of the body beyond the width of the opening will be effective to prevent the bodys passage through the opening. Other variations within the scope of the 4 appended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing description.

Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes its objects, and provides a convenient and economical mode of connecting spacing cleats to the lid of a chick box, or utilizing the lid without such spacing cleats, as is desired.

Having thus described my invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with the lid of a chick box, said lid being provided with a plurality of I-slots each adjacent a corner, each of said I-slots defining a pair of flaps and providing an opening in said lid; a plurality of cleats each associated with an opening provided by an I-slot, each cleat having a body and a tenon depending from said body and having a long horizontal dimension, said tenon having on each of opposite long sides a groove extending lengthwise of said tenon, giving the tenon in cross section the shape of an inverted T with a head and a neck, said tenon being mounted in said opening, being smaller than said opening and shaped to pass therethrough, each of the flaps of said I-slot sloping downwardly and extending within one of the grooves in said tenon and engaging the neck and upper face of the head of the tenon to lock the cleat against upward displacement from the opening, the body of the cleat being larger than the said opening in a horizontal dimension to lock the cleat against downward displacement through said opening.

2. The combination of claim l wherein the cleat is composed of a multiplicity of coextensive v and adhesively secured laminae of corrugated paperboard, the corrugations of said paperboard being oriented heightwise of said cleat, the grooves in the tenon of said cleat extending transversely of said corrugations.

ANDREW E. MILLER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,789,777 Savage Jan. 20, 1931 1,792,627 Bowersock Feb. 17, 1931 1,917,506 Deline July 11, 1933 2,205,437 Ringler June 25, 1940 2,229,603 Schaefer Jan. 21, 1941 2,331,867 Marshall Oct. 12, 1943 2,417,008 Miller Mar. 4, 1947 2,417,302 Huye Mar. 11, 1947 2,511,550 Simms June 13, 1950 2,527,221 Huye Oct. 24, 1950 

